Chapter 91: Still Going
Adrian began reloading for another round. But the F-35 weren’t giving any chances.
"Cold Reach One, Sentinel Eye," the AWACS cut in, voice urgent. "Interceptor is re-engaging. Radar spike detected—standby—missile launch! Missile launch!"
"Contact!" the co-pilot shouted. "Twelve o’clock, inbound!"
Adrian didn’t stop. He locked the new Javelin into place, his hands moving fast despite the wind still tearing through the open ramp.
"Chaff out!" the pilot ordered.
The countermeasure system responded instantly. Another burst of metallic strips shot out behind the aircraft, scattering into the air as the Globemaster banked hard to the left.
The entire cargo bay tilted.
Adrian had to widen his stance, boots grinding against the metal floor to keep himself upright.
"Missile closing—!" the co-pilot called out.
The streak of the incoming missile cut through the sky, heading straight toward them.
"Deploy more chaff!" the pilot snapped.
Another burst.
The sky behind them turned into a cloud of interference.
The missile adjusted mid-flight, its guidance struggling against the false returns.
"Come on... break..." the co-pilot muttered.
Then—
The missile veered.
It curved slightly off course, locking onto the chaff cloud instead.
A second later, it detonated behind them, the explosion rocking the aircraft with a heavy shockwave.
"Still flying!" Ryan called out, gripping the side as the aircraft shook.
But they didn’t have time to breathe.
"Cold Reach One, Sentinel Eye," the AWACS warned again. "Interceptor closing distance rapidly. They’re switching tactics—repeat, switching tactics!"
Adrian looked up.
The F-35 was no longer keeping its distance.
It was coming straight at them.
Fast.
"Guns," the pilot said under his breath. "He’s going for guns."
The jet surged forward, closing the gap in seconds. Then it rolled slightly, lining up along the Globemaster’s side.
"Brace!" Ryan shouted.
The first burst came.
A stream of bright tracers tore through the air, slamming into the aircraft with a violent series of impacts.
The sound was deafening.
Metal screamed as rounds punched through the fuselage.
The entire aircraft shook.
"Hit! We’re hit!" the co-pilot yelled.
Another burst followed.
More impacts.
Then—
A loud, violent explosion.
"Engine two is hit!" the pilot called out.
Adrian felt it.
A deep, uneven vibration spread through the aircraft as one side lost power.
"Engine two failure!" the co-pilot confirmed. "Fire warning active!"
The aircraft lurched slightly, its stability compromised.
The wind inside the cargo bay became even more chaotic, swirling violently as the damaged structure struggled to hold.
Adrian staggered for a second but forced himself steady.
He brought the Javelin back up.
"Sentinel Eye, where is he?" he demanded.
"Cold Reach One, target is on your right side, close range, circling for another pass!" the AWACS replied. "Speed reduced—he’s setting up for another gun run!"
Ryan moved beside Adrian, bracing himself as best as he could.
"You’re not going to get a clean shot like this," he said.
"I don’t need clean," Adrian replied.
The F-35 swung back into view, cutting across their right side again.
The aircraft shook violently as the damaged engine struggled, making footing unstable.
Adrian adjusted.
Forced the sight up.
Locked his stance as best as he could.
"Come on..." he muttered.
The seeker struggled again, the chaotic motion making it harder to stabilize.
"Target crossing your arc—range one kilometer!" Sentinel Eye called out.
The F-35 banked again.
"Lock," Adrian said.
"Confirm?" Ryan asked.
"Confirmed."
"Do it!" Ryan shouted.
Adrian didn’t hesitate.
He fired.
The missile shot forward, cutting through the air toward the interceptor.
"Missile away!" Ryan called out.
The F-35 reacted instantly.
It tried to pull away, engines roaring as it attempted to accelerate out of the engagement.
But this time, it was too close.
The missile closed the gap fast.
"Impact in—" Sentinel Eye began.
Then, a direct hit.
The explosion engulfed the side of the F-35, tearing into its fuselage with a violent burst of fire and force.
The aircraft jerked violently mid-air, its trajectory breaking.
Flames erupted from its side as it struggled to maintain control.
"Hit confirmed!" the AWACS shouted. "Target is hit!"
The F-35 spiraled slightly, trailing smoke and fire as it lost stability.
Inside the Globemaster, the shaking didn’t stop.
The damaged engine still burned.
Systems still screamed warnings.
"Pilot, give me status report," Adrian said.
The pilot didn’t answer right away. His eyes were locked on the instruments, hands moving across the controls as warning tones filled the cockpit.
"Engine two is gone," he said after a second. "Fire suppression engaged, but we’ve lost thrust on the right side. We’re running asymmetrical power."
The co-pilot was already reading off the systems.
"Hydraulics holding," he said. "Flight controls are still responsive. We’ve taken multiple hits across the fuselage, but pressure is stable for now. No catastrophic decompression."
Ryan listened, jaw tight.
"Fuel?" he asked.
"Some loss," the co-pilot replied. "Nothing critical yet. We can stay airborne."
The aircraft shuddered again, but it held its line.
The pilot adjusted the controls carefully, compensating for the drag and imbalance.
"We’re heavier on the left now," he said. "I’ll have to keep trimming to maintain stability."
Adrian nodded once.
"Can we still proceed to Camp Humphreys?" he asked.
The pilot took a second before answering.
"...Yes," he said. "We can make it."
A short pause followed.
"But getting out?" he added. "That’s a different matter."
Ryan glanced at Adrian.
"You heard him," he said. "We’re compromised. One engine down, structural damage, and we just shot down a South Korean fighter."
The implication was clear.
They weren’t just entering a hostile zone anymore.
They were going to be treated as one.
"Sentinel Eye," the AWACS came in again. "Be advised, no additional airborne threats detected at this time. However, we are picking up ground radar activity near Camp Humphreys. Possible military presence."
The pilot exhaled slowly.
"That’s not good," he muttered.
Adrian didn’t look away from the front.
"Can you land?" he asked.
The pilot nodded slightly.
"With one engine down, landing distance increases," he said. "But the runway should be long enough. If it’s clear, I can put us down."
"And if it’s not?" Ryan asked.
The pilot didn’t answer that.
He didn’t need to.
Adrian made his decision.
"Proceed," he said.
Ryan looked at him again.
"...You’re serious."
"Yes."
The pilot glanced back briefly.
"Sir, there’s a high chance South Korean forces are already on the ground," he said. "After what just happened, they won’t assume we’re friendly."
Adrian’s expression didn’t change.
"I know. Land the aircraft," he said.
"Copy," the pilot said.
He turned back to the controls, adjusting their heading.
"Setting course for Camp Humphreys."